10 Struggles Insomniacs Can Relate To

Sleep is one of the best things in life, but for some of us, it can be hard to come by. When we’re kids, we don’t appreciate naps nearly as much as we do as adults. Once we’re fully grown and spending our days working hard and tending to our households, those glorious hours of uninterrupted sleep go away and many of us (especially Type A personalities) become insomniacs. In a world ruled by menacing alarm clocks, the struggles are real for those of us who have a hard time getting a good night’s rest:

1. We struggle to be at work before 9 am and be personable so early in the morning, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like our jobs. If we have to be at work at 7 or 8 am, we’re going to be sleepy and/or grumpy for a little while but that’s not because we hate you or our jobs. It’s because we hate everyone and everything before 10 am (or the point at which the caffeine kicks in, whichever comes first). Don’t take it so personally; just give us some space and trust that we’ll handle everything we said we would (we will, we promise).
2. As the work week progresses, we just get more sleep-deprived. The countdown to Friday is real for insomniacs because we’re counting down the days until we get any real sleep. Don’t even think about speaking to us before noon on Saturday. Once we’ve conquered another long work week, our reward is that beautiful long sleep from Friday night until whenever we feel like getting up on Saturday.
3. If we do go to bed early, we can’t sleep. We really wish it were just as easy as choosing a bedtime, lying down, and falling asleep. Some of us just don’t have it like that. We could lie in our beds at 9:30, but our racing minds will still keep us awake for a few more hours. Plus, just the fact that we’re trying to fall asleep can cause extra anxiety and make our insomnia worse.
4. At a certain point, we inevitably begin calculating how many hours of sleep we would get if we fell asleep RIGHT NOW. We know that the number continues to decrease as 1 am becomes 2 and then 3, but the anxiety is real when we already know we’ll need 3 cups of coffee and a monster to get through work tomorrow.
5. As soon as we lie down in bed, we remember everything we forgot to do today. Some things can’t be accomplished after hours, like bank runs or prescription refills, but, if we forgot to do something that’s nearby and can still be accomplished, watch out. Why yes, I am getting out of bed at 1:30 am to take the trash out, because that’s the only way I’ll be able to sleep at any point tonight.
6. If we share a bed with someone who falls asleep early, it literally disrupts our entire night. We don’t want to be that jerk who’s still tossing and turning past midnight, but the pressure to be quiet has already disrupted all the nighttime activities we would normally enjoy as a means of winding down. When the bed is already full of someone who’s out at 10 pm sharp, we end up staying up even longer than usual because we have our own bedtime routine that’s deemed less important just because it happens later at night, and the disruption of our nighttime routine causes our anxiety to peak.
7. Don’t even talk to us about early morning plans on the weekend. We really don’t understand people who get up early on the weekend voluntarily. Maybe it’s just because y’all actually get sleep during the week too, but we’re tired by the time Friday night comes along, so that early morning rock climbing trip on Saturday is such a no-go. Please go have fun, and be sure not to wake us up on your way out the door. Send a text about 4-5 hours later if you want to meet up for brunch/lunch, as soon as we’re well rested.
8. We have to set a series of alarm clocks to get up, not just one. The first one, the earliest alarm, is more like a pre-alarm to warn us that it’s almost that dreaded time. Next is the actual alarm that requires us to get up and have optimal time to get ready for work. The third and fourth alarms are to let us know that we’re running late and will now have to sacrifice part of our morning routine. We’ll decide on the fly if we’d rather sacrifice makeup or breakfast.
9. It can be a feat to wake up us. Our brains are trained to ignore stimuli while we’re asleep. If they weren’t, we’d never get a wink of sleep. If you must wake us up, know that we won’t be happy about it and do so at your own risk.
10. If you’re in that warm bed with us, we have to encourage endless cuddling. Getting up sucks, and we want to stay in the warm cacoon as long as possible! Even if we’re still deciding whether or not we like you, we’ll encourage longer morning cuddling because it’s definitely better than getting up early. It’s like we’re having a threesome: us, our beloved sleep, and someone who’s warm. Nothing to complain about there.